ABSTRACT:
Quantification of active principles through modern analytical tools is essential for establishing the authenticity, creditability, prescription and usage of Ayurvedic medicines/herbal formulations. Triphala churna is one of the popular Ayurvedic preparations, official in Ayurvedic formulary of India. The present study is an attempt to develop a fingerprint method for Triphala churna with TLC Densitometric Methods (HPTLC) using gallic acid as a standard. The gallic acid is a major content in all the three ingredients of the formulation. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, inter-day and intra-day assay precision, repeatability of measurement, and repeatability of sample application. The concentration of gallic acid present in raw material was found to be 3.10±0.41% w/w in Emblica officinalis, 8.47±0.82% w/w in Terminalia belerica, and 4.63±0.49% w/w in Terminalia chebula. Gallic acid content in three identical laboratory batch of Triphala churna TP-I, TP-II and TP-III, was found to be 5.39±0.48%, 5.42±0.46% and 5.41±0.52% w/w respectively with mean value 5.41±0.49%. The gallic acid content in all the three different batches is found to be in close proximities with each other. The results were comparable to marketed formulations.